The United States should not and cannot intervene unilaterally in Syria as some congressional hawks are demanding. The Obama administration consults regularly with our allies about situations like this intolerable one. It is their preference to work with other countries to achieve change. In his April 30 news conference, President Barack Obama was firm about having all the correct facts about chemical weapon use in Syria before taking action. The United States is doing everything possible short of war now to help the rebels.

This is a delicate situation. Theoretically, there is an alignment already of some Middle East countries against the United States and its allies. If we put our "boots on the ground" in Syria, we could precipitate a Middle East conflagration beyond repair.